U.S. patent number 5,651,700 [Application Number 08/528,499] was granted by the patent office on 1997-07-29 for electrical connector.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Hirose Electric Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Kensaku Sato, Akira Shirai.
United States Patent |
5,651,700 |
Sato , et al. |
July 29, 1997 |
Electrical connector
Abstract
An electrical connector includes a female terminal 31 engaged
with a lance 40 of the connector housing 3 and having a contact
portion 46 and a retainer latch shoulder 60 and a retainer 32
having a wedge member 55 for urging the lance 40 against the
terminal and a retainer lance 54 for engagement with the retainer
latch shoulder 60 of the female terminal 31.
Inventors: |
Sato; Kensaku (Tokyo,
JP), Shirai; Akira (Tokyo, JP) |
Assignee: |
Hirose Electric Co., Ltd.
(Tokyo, JP)
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Family
ID: |
17288437 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/528,499 |
Filed: |
September 14, 1995 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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Sep 27, 1994 [JP] |
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6-256138 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
439/595 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R
13/4364 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01R
13/436 (20060101); H01R 013/40 () |
Field of
Search: |
;439/595,744 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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0374492 |
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Jun 1990 |
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EP |
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5089922 |
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Apr 1993 |
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JP |
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Primary Examiner: Abrams; Neil
Assistant Examiner: Standig; Barry Matthew L.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Kanesaka & Takeuchi
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An electrical connector comprising:
a connector housing with a front retainer receiving cavity and a
rear terminal receiving cavity having a lance;
a terminal with a lance shoulder placed in said terminal receiving
cavity such that said lance shoulder engages said lance and having
a retainer latch shoulder; and
a retainer placed in said retainer receiving cavity and having a
wedge member for urging said lance against said terminal and a
latch projection for engaging said retainer latch shoulder of said
terminal.
2. An electrical connector comprising:
a connector housing having front and rear faces, which includes a
partition wall extending rearwardly from said front face to define
at least one front retainer receiving cavity and having an end in
said connector housing; at least one rear terminal receiving cavity
extending forwardly from said rear face; and at least one lance
extending diagonally forwardly from said end of said partition wall
so as to form a space between said partition wall and said
lance;
at least one terminal with a lance shoulder placed in said terminal
receiving cavity such that said lance shoulder engages said lance
and having a retainer latch shoulder; and
a retainer placed in said retainer receiving cavity and having at
least one wedge member placed in said space between said partition
wall and said lance for urging said lance against said terminal and
a latch projection for engaging said retainer latch shoulder of
said terminal to thereby provide a double engagement for said
terminal.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical connectors for use in
electrical equipment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional electrical connector includes a connector housing
with a terminal receiving cavity having a lance and a terminal
placed in the receiving cavity such that the lance engages the
shoulder of the terminal to secure the terminal.
However, in the above connector there is an occasion that the
terminal falls off from the housing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an
electrical connector capable of securing a terminal without
failure.
According to the invention there is provided an electrical
connector which includes a connector housing with a front retainer
receiving cavity and a rear terminal receiving cavity having a
lance; a terminal with a lance shoulder placed in the terminal
receiving cavity such that the lance shoulder engages the lance and
having a retainer latch shoulder; and a retainer with a latch
projection placed in the retainer receiving cavity such that the
retainer urges the lance against the terminal while the latch
projection engages the retainer latch shoulder of the terminal
thereby providing a double engagement for the terminal.
It is preferred that the retainer includes a wedge member for
urging the lance against the terminal and a latch projection for
engaging the retainer latch shoulder of the terminal.
The terminal is latched by the lance of the housing while the lance
is pressed against the terminal by the retainer while the latch
projection of the retainer engages the retainer latch shoulder of
the terminal, thus providing a double engagement which assures the
fixation of the terminal.
When two connectors are connected, the retainer is pushed into the
connector housing so that the wedge member of the retainer urges
the lance against the terminal, thus assuring the fixation of the
terminal.
The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the
invention will be more apparent from the following description when
taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of male and female connectors before
connection;
FIG. 2 is a front view of the male connector;
FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the male connector;
FIG. 4 is a side view of the male connector;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line A--A of FIG. 2;
FIG. 6 is a front view of a connector housing for the male
connector;
FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line B--B of FIG. 6;
FIG. 8(1) is an enlarged view of an area C of FIG. 6;
FIG. 8(2) is a view as viewed from arrow D of FIG. 8(1);
FIG. 9(1) is a top view of an inner seal for the male
connector;
FIG. 9(2) is a side view of the inner seal;
FIG. 9(3) is a sectional view taken along line E--E of FIG.
9(1);
FIG. 9(4) is an enlarged view of an area F of FIG. 9(1);
FIG. 10 is a top view of the female connector;
FIG. 11 is a front view of the female connector;
FIG. 12 is a side view of the female connector;
FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the female connector;
FIG. 14 is a sectional view of a connector housing for the female
connector;
FIG. 15(A) is a top view of a female terminal;
FIG. 15(B) is a side view of the female terminal;
FIG. 15(C) is a sectional view of a contact portion of the female
terminal;
FIG. 16(A) is a top view of a first retainer;
FIG. 16(B) is a front view of the first retainer;
FIG. 16(C) is a rear view of the first retainer;
FIG. 16(D) is a side view of the first retainer;
FIG. 17(A) is a sectional view taken along line 17(A)--17(A) of
FIG. 16(B);
FIG. 17(B) is a sectional view taken along line 17(B)--17(B) of
FIG. 16(B);
FIG. 17(C) is a sectional view taken along line 17(C)--17(C) of
FIG. 16(B);
FIG. 17(D) is a sectional view taken along line 17(D)--17(D) of
FIG. 16(B);
FIG. 17(E) is a sectional view taken along line K--K of FIG.
16(B);
FIG. 18(A) is a top view of a second retainer;
FIG. 18(B) is a front view of the second retainer;
FIG. 19(A) is a top view of an elastic seal;
FIG. 19(B) is a view as viewed from arrow L of FIG. 19 (1);
FIG. 19(C) is a view as viewed from arrow M of FIG. 19(1); and
FIG. 20 is a sectional view of the male and female connectors as
connected.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of male and female connectors before
connection; FIG. 2 is a front view of the male connector; FIG. 3 is
a top view of the male connector; 4 is a side view of the male
connector; and FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5--5 of
FIG. 2.
The electrical connector assembly consists of a male connector 1
and a female connector 2. The male connector 1 includes a connector
housing 3, a number of male signal terminals 4A and 4B, male power
terminals 5, and inner and outer seals 6 and 7.
In FIGS. 6 and 7, the connector housing 3 has a rectangular housing
body 8 with a fitting recess 9. Retainer receiving recesses 10 are
provided along the center line of a rear wall 9a. Terminal
receiving apertures 11A, 11B, and 11C are provided along the
retainer receiving recesses 10 to receive male signal terminals 4A
and 4B, and male power terminals 11C, respectively.
An outer seal receiving groove 12 is provided along the
circumference of the connector housing 3. Fixing apertures 13 with
a shoulder 13a are provided in the receiving groove 12 on upper,
lower and opposite side positions. An inner seal mounting section
14 is provided on the rear portion of the fitting recess 9.
Seal latch members 15 are provided on the upper and lower walls 9a
and 9b of the fitting recess 9. Each seal latch member 15 is made
up of an insertion channel 16a and a dovetail latch groove 16b.
Also, guide channels 27 are provided on the upper and lower walls
of the fitting recess 9.
A male lock 17 is provided at the center of the upper wall 9a of
the fitting recess 9. The male lock 17 is made up of an insertion
channel 18 and a pair of lock projections 19 on opposite sides of
the insertion channel 18.
In FIG. 9, the inner elastic seal 6 has an annular seal body 20
along the periphery of the fitting recess 9. A plurality of lip
members 21a and 21b are provided on inner and outer surfaces of the
seal body 20. Latch projections 22 are provided on a front face 20a
of the seal body 20 at upper and lower positions. Each latch
projection 22 is made up of a support member 22a extending from the
front face 20a and a latch member 22b extending outwardly from the
support member 22a, providing a dovetail cross section.
The outer elastic seal 7 has a shape similar to that of the seal
receiving groove 12 and latch projections 23 with a latch tip 23a
at upper, lower and opposite side positions. A bolt hole 24 is
provided in the latch projection 23 (see FIG. 5).
The male signal terminals 4A and 4B and the male power terminals 5
are placed in the terminal receiving apertures 11A, 11B, and 11C,
respectively, such that the contact portions 4A-1, 4B-1, and 5-1
are exposed in the fitting recess while the terminal legs 4A-2,
4B-2, and 5-2 extend rearwardly from the connector housing 3.
The inner elastic seal 6 is placed on the seal mounting section 14
in the rear portion of the fitting recess 9 such that the latch
dovetails 22b of the latch projections 22 are engaged with the
latch dovetail grooves 16b of the seal latch members 15 under
compressed conditions.
The elastic outer seal 7 is placed in the seal mounting groove 12
such that the latch projections 23 of the outer seal 7 are inserted
in the fixing apertures 13 of the housing so that the latch tips
23a engage the latch shoulders 13a to form the male connector
1.
The female connector 2 includes a connector housing 30, a female
terminals 31, a retainer 32, and an elastic seal 33.
In FIGS. 13 and 14, the connector housing 30 has a rectangular
housing body 34 with a front fitting section 41. Retainer receiving
section 35 is provided on the front face of the fitting section 41.
Insertion holes 37a and 37b are provided in the retainer receiving
section 35 on opposite sides of a central partition wall 36.
Terminal receiving cavities 39 are provided in the housing body 34.
The terminal receiving cavities 39 include receiving cavities 39A
and 39B for female signal terminals and 39C for female power
terminals. A lance 40 is provided on each terminal receiving cavity
39 on the side of a separation wall 38.
A female lock 42 is provided on the top of the connector housing
30. The female lock 42 is made up of a cantilever lock lever 43, a
pair of lock projections 44 on the lock lever 43 and a release
button 43a on the tip of the lock lever 43. Guide sections 45 are
provided on upper and lower outside of the connector housing
30.
In FIG. 15, the female terminal 31 has a contact section 46 and a
crimping section 47. A lance shoulder 50 and a retainer shoulder 60
are provided between the contact and crimping sections 46 and 47.
The contact section 46 has a tubular form and has a contact tongue
46a therein. The crimping section 47 has a pair of core wire
crimping tabs 48 and a pair of jacket crimping tabs 49. The female
terminals 31 includes female signal terminals 31A and 31B, and
female power terminals 31C. The core wire crimping tabs 48 are
crimped on the core wire 80a while the jacket crimping tabs 49 are
crimped on the jacket 80b to secure the cable 80.
The retainer 32 is made up of a first retainer 32-1 as shown in
FIGS. 16 and 17 and a second retainer 32-1 as shown in FIG. 18. The
first retainer 32-1 has a retainer body 51 with two protruded
sections 52 on the front end. A plurality of sets, each set having
a pair of retainer lances 54, a pair of wedges 55, and a pair of
retainer lances 54, are provided on the rear end of the retainer
body 51 at regular pitch.
Similarly, the second retainer 32-2 has a retainer body 51 with
three protruded sections 52 on the front end. A plurality of sets,
each set having a pair of retainer lances 54, a pair of wedges 55,
and a pair of retainer lances 54, are provided on the rear end of
the retainer body 51 at regular pitch.
In FIG. 19, the elastic seal 33 has a tubular seal body made from
rubber and having a central through hole 58 therein and a plurality
of lip members 57 on the middle area.
A cable 80 is inserted through the through hole 58 of the elastic
seal 33 to attach the elastic seal to the cable 80. The female
terminal 31 connected to the cable 80 is inserted into the
receiving cavity 39 of the connector housing 30 such that the lance
40 engages the lance shoulder 50. The female signal terminals 31A
and 31B and the female power terminals 31C are placed in the
receiving cavities 39A, 39B, and 39C, respectively. The elastic
seal 33 is placed in the rear portion of the terminal cavity 39 in
a watertight fashion.
The first and second retainers 32-1 and 32-2 are placed in the
retainer receiving cavities 35 of the fitting section 41 such that
the wedges 55 of the first and second retainers 32-1 and 32-2 are
placed in the upper and lower insertion apertures 37a and 37b on
opposite sides of the central partition wall 36, urging the lance
40 against the female terminal 31 thus assuring the engagement
between the lance 40 and the lance shoulder 50. The lances 54 of
the first and second retainers 32-1 and 32-2 are placed in the
insertion apertures 37a and 37b and engaged with the retainer
shoulder 60 of the female terminal 31 forming the female connector
2.
The wedges 55 of the first and second retainers 32-1 and 32-2 are
placed between the partition wall 36 and the lance 40 urging the
lance against the female terminal 31. The lances 54 of the first
and second retainer 32-1 and 32-2 are placed in the receiving
cavities 37a and 37b and engaged with the retainer shoulders 60 of
the female terminal 31, thus assuring the placement of the female
terminal 31 in the receiving cavity 39 (double engagement).
As shown in FIG. 5, the male connector 1 is mounted on a panel 70.
A mounting opening 71 and threaded hole 72 are provided in the
panel 70. The front portion of the male connector 1 is placed in
the opening 71 such that the outer elastic seal 7 abuts against the
panel 70 when the male connector 1 is mounted on the panel 70 by
screwing bolts 73 into the threaded hole 72. A printed circuit
board 74 is attached to the male connector 1 such that the terminal
legs of the respective terminals are connected to the through holes
75 of the printed circuit board 74.
How to connect and disconnect the male and female connectors will
be described below.
The front portion of the female connector 2 is fitted into the
fitting recess 9 of the male connector 1 such that the fitting
section 41 of the female connector 2 is fitted in the retainer
receiving recess 10 of the male connector 1 so that the contact
portions 4A-1, 4B-1, and 5-1 of the male terminals 4A, 4B, and 5
are brought into contact with the contact portions 46 of the female
terminal 31. At the same time, the lock lever 43 of the female lock
42 is placed in the lock channel 18 of the male lock 17 such that
the latch projections 44 engage the latch members 19 to lock the
male and female connectors 1 and 2 together. The front end of the
female connector 2 is pressed against the inner elastic seal 6 to
make the interior waterproof.
To disconnect the male connector 1 from the female connector 2, the
release button 43a is depressed to deflect the lock lever 43 so
that the latch projections 44 are released from the latch members
19 thereby permitting the male connector 1 to be pulled out of the
female connector 2.
As has been described above, the connector assembly according to
the invention includes terminals which are placed and fixed in the
housing with the lances and have contact and retainer shoulder
portions and a retainer which is placed in the housing to press the
lances against the terminals and latches engaging the shoulders of
the terminals, so that not only the terminals are fixed by the
lances but also the lances are pressed by the retainer against the
terminals while the latch of the retainer engages the shoulder of
the terminal (double engagement), thus assuring firm fixation of
the terminals.
The retainer has the wedge portion for pressing the lance against
the terminal and the lance member for engaging the shoulder of the
terminal so that when the two connectors are connected, the
retainer is pushed into the connector housing while the wedge
portion of the retainer presses the lance to the terminal thus
assuring fixation of the terminals.
* * * * *